"Give 100
percent effort, that's all you can expect of anybody," Bergman said. "Some are
going to be professional athletes, some are going to be scholars, and some
aren't.

"But the
most important thing is to give your very best and ultimately you'll find your
niche and be successful in life."

Bergman and
Rozema both reside in Grosse Pointe, and each has spoken at the St. Stan's banquet
in the past, Bergman in 1994 and Rozema last year, and back in 1981 when he
was a young major leaguer.

"The message
I want to give to kids is to work hard at whatever you do," Rozema said.
"Whatever happens on the field, it's not the end of the world, it's just a
competition. So have a good time and work hard."

Krzysiak's
House Restaurant catered the dinner, after which Rozema and Bergman shared stories
of baseball seasons past. And conveyed their message: Always give everything you've got.

"These kids
don't realize it, but time goes by so fast," Rozema said. "So as long as you're
here and now, work hard at what you do, and do the best you can for your team,
your coaches and yourself."

Afterward,
Rozema and Bergman posed for pictures, and signed autographs.

"The way society
is today, I think we put too much pressure on the grades you get in school,"
Bergman said. "And I think we're looking at things a little backwards. The No. 1 thing I stress with the kids I work with is to give your best
effort, on and off the field. If you do that, everything will take care of
itself."

The main
objective of the banquet is to recognize and reward students for achievements
on the field and in the classroom.

"What we're
trying to do here is give these kids a chance to unplug themselves," said St.
Stanislaus Athletic Club President Ron Jablonski. "Back when I was a kid, we
played baseball in our spare time, we threw the football around and we used our
imagination. Having that die out is a hard pill to swallow, so we want to keep
the tradition alive."

That's where
the guest speakers come in.

"For them to
see these professional athletes, and to see what could happen if they work hard
enough, that's really what we strive for," Jablonksi said. "Hearing from guys
who made it to the next level, I think they really grasp that."

Rozema says
that he and Bergman are happy to make the trip, and to share their experience.

"We
appreciate coming to the community and talking baseball and sharing our
stories," Rozema said. "I feel fortunate that I got called back here again, and
I got to bring one of my old teammates with me. It's a lot of fun."

Rozema
pitched for 10 years from 1977-86, with the first eight as a member of the
Tigers. He went 7-6 with a 3.74 ERA for the 1984 championship team. Bergman
played 17 years from 1975-92, the last eight of which were for the Tigers.
Bergman played first base for the '84 squad and hit .273 with seven homers and
44 RBIs.

Each still call
the Detroit area home, and both still closely follow Tigers baseball.

"My biggest
concern with the club the past few years is if they don't hit, they don't have
the ability to manufacture runs," Bergman said. "This team has some speed and
better defense, and the pitching staff is going to be outstanding.

"I'm
comfortable saying they have a better chance of winning the World Series this
year than they've had in the last 10 years.

With the
trade of slugging first baseman Prince Fielder for second baseman Ian Kinsler,
the addition of speedster Rajai Davis and a full year with Jose Iglesias
manning shortstop, the Tigers have a new dynamic heading into the 2014 season.

"It puts a
different team in Comerica (Park), I've never seen a fast team there," Rozema said.
"This year, there's speed, defense and the ability to play small ball, which is
something different."